Selective approach to major hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic liver disease.

For large HCCs, partial liver resection remains the best therapeutic option for cure because neither liver transplantation nor percutaneous treatments are indicated. In specialized centers, a better selection of at-risk patients and technical procedures, including the use of intermittent inflow occlusion and the anterior approach, have contributed to improve dramatically the outcome of major liver resection for HCC in CLD. In addition, portal vein embolization has become an important tool to hypertrophy the future liver remnant before major liver resection in cirrhotic patients with apparently normal liver function.